Chapter M: =Ma’am.= An Americanism for mother. See “Madam.” (1)

=Ma’am School.= The American term for a young ladies’ seminary, or an
infants’ school kept by a woman.

=Macadamised Road.= This system of road-making by means of broken stones
pressed down by a heavy roller was introduced by John Loudon
Macadam, a Scotsman, appointed Surveyor of Public Roads in 1827.

=Macaroni.= From the Italian _macare_, to crush, to bruise, through
_Macarone_, a mixture, a medley. This confection originally
consisted of cheese and bread paste squeezed into balls.

=Macaronies.= Fashionable dandies first heard of in London after the
accession of George III. Their leaders hailed from France and Italy,
where Macaroni Clubs abounded. These clubs arose out of Dilettante
Societies, formed for the cultivation of what was styled Macaronic
Verse, after a poetical rhapsody entitled “Liber Macaronicorum,” a
jumble of Latin and other languages published by a monk of Mantua in
1520. Subsequently everything in dress or taste received the name of
Macaroni.

=Macaroon.= A biscuit the name of which has the same etymology as
“Macaroni.”

=Macassar Oil.= So called because it was first exported from Macassar,
the Dutch capital of Celebes Island.

=Macclesfield Street.= After the Earl of Macclesfield, the landlord of
the estate when it was laid out in 1697.

=Macedonians.= A fourth century sect of Christians founded by
Macedonius, Patriarch of Constantinople.

=Machinaw.= A heavy blanket worn by Indians, and also nowadays in the
western states used as a travelling rug and bed pallet. The term is
derived from Machinac (pronounced _Machinaw_), the chief trading
station with the Indians formerly. Western settlers also describe an
overcoat as a Machinaw.

=Machine.= A bicycle is called a machine because it is a more or less
complicated piece of mechanism made up of many parts. In the United
States the term machine is applied both to a locomotive and a fire
engine.

=Mackenzie River.= After Alexander Mackenzie, by whom it was first
navigated in 1789.

=Mackerel.= From the Danish _mackreel_, “spots.”

=Mackintosh.= After the Scotsman who invented water-proofing material
for over-garments.

=Macklin Street.= After Charles Macklin, the celebrated actor of Drury
Lane Theatre. His name was really Maclaughlin shortened into
Macklin.

=Macmillanites.= An offshoot of the Presbyterians under John Macmillan;
also styled the “Reformed Presbytery.”

=Madagascar.= A corruption of the native name _Malagasay_, the island of
the Malagese or Malays.

=Madam.= In New England the term applied to the deceased wife of a
person of local distinction, such as the parson, doctor, etc. In the
southern states it expresses the mistress or master’s wife
universally among the Negroes. Elsewhere it is either _Madam_ or
_Ma’am_ for a mother.

=Mad Cavalier.= Prince Rupert, so called on account of his rash courage
and lack of self-control.

=Mad Dog.= A skull cap, from the old idea that keeping the head
impervious to air was a remedy against the bite of a dog.

=Mad Poet.= Nathaniel Lee, who wrote some of his finest pieces while
confined during four years at Bethlehem Hospital.

=Mad as a Hatter.= A corruption of “Mad as an atter.” _Atter_ expressed
the Saxon for a viper or adder. The word “Mad” was anciently used in
the sense of venomous; hence this expression really meant “venomous
as a viper.”

=Mad as a March Hare.= Being their rutting season, hares are very wild
in March.

=Made a bad Break.= An Americanism for having made a silly slip of the
tongue, a sad mistake, or a great blunder. The expression is, of
course, derived from a game of billiards.

=Made his Pile.= Although a Californian phrase for having amassed a
fortune, this originated at the gaming-tables throughout the States
generally.

=Madeira.= Expresses the Portuguese for “timber.” This island was at the
time of its discovery covered with forests. Also the name of a rich
wine imported therefrom.

=Madeleine.= The church at Paris dedicated to Mary Magdalen or Mary of
Magdala.

=Maddox Street.= After the name of the builder upon the land in 1720.

=Madras.= From the Arabic _Madrasa_, “university.” Originally Madrasa
Pattan, the name expressed “University town.” _Pattan_ is Sanscrit
for town.

=Madrid.= In the tenth century this was simply a Moorish fortified
outpost of Toledo, as expressed by its Arabic name, _Majerit_.

=Maelstrom.= Expresses the Norwegian for an eddy or whirlpool; literally
“whirling stream.”

=Maffiking.= A word used to denote the madness which may seize upon an
entire community on an occasion of great public rejoicing, as
happened when news of the relief of Mafeking, during the South
African War, reached England. Staid citizens--bankers, stockbrokers,
and others--assembled in front of the Mansion House, cheering
wildly, and losing all control over themselves to such a degree that
they threw their hats high in the air. For the remainder of that day
and far into the night all London went mad with joy.

=Magazine.= From the Arabic _Makhzan_, a depository for stores. In a
literary sense this originally expressed a periodical whose contents
were made up of elegant extracts from the best authors.

=Magdalen Hospital.= The old name of a penitentiary for fallen women, so
called after Mary Magdalen. The French form of this name is
Madeleine.

=Magdalen Smith.= The famous Dutch portrait painter, Gaspar Smitz, is
usually known by this name on account of his many “Magdalens,” in
which he excelled.

=Magdeburg.= German for “town on the plain.”

=Magenta.= This colour was so called because first produced after the
battle of Magenta in 1859.

=Magic City of the South.= Birmingham in the state of Alabama. Since its
foundation by the Elyton Land Company in 1871 it has bidden fair to
rival Pittsburg as the Birmingham of America.

=Magnolia.= In honour of the eminent French botanist, Pierre Magnol.

=Mahala.= The Californian term for an Indian squaw, derived from the
Spanish _muger_ (pronounced _muher_), a woman.

=Mahatma.= A Hindoo term for a Buddhist gifted with what appear to be
supernatural powers, as the result of the very highest intellectual
development.

=Mahogany.= A vulgar term very frequently heard in the Midland counties
for a man’s wife. This arose from the fact that the wood of the
Mahogany-tree (West Indian _Mahogan_, but botanically _Swietenia
Mahogani_) was for many years at first used exclusively for the
manufacture of domestic dining-tables; hence a man would say: “I’ll
discuss it with my wife over the Mahogany.” Eventually the phrase
was corrupted into “I’ll talk to the Mahogany about it,” and so the
term came to denote the man’s wife.

=Mahrattas.= The Hindoo term for “outcasts.” Although devout worshippers
of Buddha, this powerful Hindoo family does not recognise that fine
distinction of caste which obtains elsewhere.

=Maida Vale.= After the victory of Maida, 4th July 1806.

=Maiden.= An ancient instrument of capital punishment made in the form
of a woman, the front of which opened like a door, and, the victim
being imprisoned, sharp steel spikes pierced his body on every side.
This name was also given to an early species of guillotine in
Scotland. To be executed by its means was to “Kiss the Maiden,”
because she clasped him in a death embrace.

=Maidenland.= A Virginian term for the land which comes to a man by
marriage on his wife’s side, and which passes from him at her
decease.

=Maiden Assize.= So called when there are no charges for the jury, which
in the event of conviction merit capital punishment or the death
sentence. On such an occasion the sheriffs present a pair of white
gloves to the judges as the emblems of innocence.

=Maiden Lane.= Anciently skirting the garden of the Convent. This
thoroughfare had at its western corner a statue of “Our Lady” let
into the wall.

=Maid Marian.= So far from having any connection with Robin Hood and his
merry men in Sherwood Forest, this term is derived from the “Morris
Dance,” in which five men and a boy took part. On account of his
antics and the ill-fitting _morione_, or helmet, that this boy wore,
he came to be styled as the “Mad Morion,” of which Maid Marian was
an easy corruption.

=Maid of Orleans.= Joan of Arc, who led her countrymen against the
English, and effected the capture of the city of Orleans, 29th April
1429.

=Maid of Saragossa.= Augustina Zaragossa, who distinguished herself in
the heroic defence of the city of Saragossa during its eight months’
siege by the French in 1808-9.

=Maidstone.= From the Anglo-Saxon _Medwægeston_, the town on the
_Medwæge_, or Medway, which river runs through the middle of the
county of Kent.

=Mail.= The American term for “post”--_i.e._ a letter. This word is, of
course, derived from the mail bag in which letters are transmitted.

=Mail Stage.= The American form of “Stage-coach.”

=Maine.= The name given to the French settlement in the New World after
the city so called in the Mother Country. Maine, from the Celtic
_man_, expresses a district or region.

=Majorca.= Expresses the Latin for Greater, relative to the “Balearic
Islands.”

=Make Bricks without Straw.= To make something without the needful
materials. In the East bricks are made out of straw and mud dried in
the sun. The expression comes from the burdens laid upon the
Israelites in Egypt as related in Exodus v.: “Go therefore now, and
work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver
the tale of bricks.”

=Make Money out of a Shoe-string.= An Americanism for a capacity to make
money out of nothing--that is, without working capital.

=Make the Raise.= An Americanism for to “raise the loan.”

=Make the Sneak.= An Americanism for to sneak or run away.

=Make Tracks.= Originally a Far West expression when a squatter deserted
his claim and set out to explore an unknown region.

=Make Trade hum.= An Americanism for whipping up business by advertising
or extraordinary energy.

=Malaga.= From the Phœnician _malaca_, salt. The wine of the same
name is imported from this city of Spain.

=Malmsey.= Wine from Malvasia, an island in the Mediterranean
historically famous for its vineyards.

=Malta.= From the Phœnician _Melita_, “a place of refuge.”

=Mamelukes.= From the Arabic _mamluc_, a slave. The original standing
army of Egypt, composed of boy slaves purchased by the Sultan from
the Tartar Khan in the Caucasus in the thirteenth century.

=Mamma.= Latin for “breast”; hence all animals that are suckled by the
mother belong to the class of “Mammals.”

=Mammon.= From the Syriac _mamona_, “riches.”

=Manchester.= Expresses the Anglo-Saxon for a common on the site of a
Roman camp. The Friesic _man_ in this sense enters into many place
names also on the Continent.

=Manchester Square.= After the Duke of Manchester, the owner of the
estate.

=Manchuria.= The territory of the Manchus, the founders of the present
ruling dynasty of China.

=Mandarin.= Although this title is borne by officers of every grade in
China the word is really Portuguese, _mandar_, to command. It was
applied by the early settlers of Macao to the Chinese officials of
that colony, and has remained a European designation for a Chinaman
of rank ever since.

=Manhattan.= From the Indian _munnohatan_, “the town on the island.”

=Manicure.= The American mode of “Manicurist,” which, from the Latin
_manus_, hand, literally means one who undertakes the care of the
finger-nails.

=Manitoba.= After _Manitou_, the “Great Spirit” of the Alonquin Indians.
This name is pronounced Manito_bar_ not Mani_to_bar.

=Man in the Street.= A metaphorical expression for the average man, with
no more than a superficial knowledge of matters in general. Not
belonging to a club, he has small means of adding to his own store
of knowledge by daily communion with those better informed than
himself.

=Manlius Torquatus.= The Roman Consul Manlius received his surname
“Torquatus” through having wrested the golden torque or collar from
his adversary on the field of war.

=Mannheim.= German for “the home of men.” Until the Elector Palatine
Frederick IV. built a castle here, and a town grew up around it in
the seventeenth century, this was a village of refugees from
religious persecution in the Netherlands.

=Man of Kent.= A native of the county of Kent east of the Medway.

=Man of Ross.= The name given by Pope to John Kyrle of Ross,
Herefordshire. See “Kyrle Society.”

=Man of Straw.= One who, having nothing to lose, descends to mean
practices for gain, well knowing that his victims rarely go to the
expense of entering a prosecution against him, since they cannot
obtain damages. This term was derived from the hangers-on at the
Westminster Law Courts, who were ready to swear anything at the
instruction of counsel for a bribe. They were known by displaying a
wisp of straw in their shoes. If another witness was required while
a case was being heard, counsel generally sent out to look for “a
pair of straw shoes.”

=Man-of-War.= This term is a popular abbreviation of man-of-war
ship--_i.e._ the floating home of a man-of-war’s-man. Our national
prestige has from time immemorial been dependent on the supremacy of
the seas, therefore an English sailor, more than a soldier, was
regarded by our ancestors as a fighting man. Since the introduction
of ironclads, however, it has become the custom to speak of a
floating battery as a war vessel or battleship, and a sailor as a
bluejacket.

=Mansard Roof.= After its inventor, François Mansard, the French
architect of the seventeenth century.

=Mansfield Street.= From the town mansion of the Earls of Mansfield,
which stood here.

=Mansion House.= Expresses the “house of houses,” the official residence
of the Lord Mayor of London, the representative in the city of the
King, whose flag proudly waves in the breeze from the roof.

=Mantua.= A lady’s cloak or mantle, originally introduced from the
Italian city of this name.

=Maoris.= The aborigines of New Zealand. In the native tongue this means
“indigenous.”

=Maraboo Feathers.= Those plucked from the underside of the wings of the
stork of the same name. The stork being held sacred by the
Mohammedans, as it was by the ancient Egyptians, its name has the
same meaning as that of the “Marabuts.”

=Marabuts.= The priestly order of the Arabs in North Africa; those who
attend the mosques and call the people to prayers. Their name is
derived from the Arabic _Marabath_, sacred or devoted to God.

=Maraschino.= A liqueur distilled from delicate and finely flavoured
cherries, called _Marazques_, cultivated at Zara in Dalmatia.

=March.= In honour of Mars, the Roman god of war.

=Marconigram.= A wireless telegram, so called after Marconi, the
inventor of the system.

=Margate.= From the Anglo-Saxon _Mære_, the sea; expresses the road or
entrance to the Thames estuary from the sea. See “Gate.”

=Margaret Street.= After Lady Margaret Cavendish, wife of the second
Duke of Portland, landlord of the estate.

=Marigold.= This, golden flower, indigenous to Mexico, was dedicated by
the Spaniards to the Virgin. What are called “Marigold Windows,”
having these flowers represented on them, appear in Lady Chapels.

=Marine Store Dealer.= The legal description of what is now a rag and
bone merchant in a small way, because at one time old ships’ iron
and cables were not allowed to be disposed of in any other manner
save to such a registered dealer.

=Market Street.= The site of an ancient market on which at a later
period the annual May Fair was held. This district is now one of the
most fashionable in the West End of London.

=Mark Lane.= A corruption of “Mart Lane,” in which an ancient annual
fair or mart of Flemish merchants was held.

=Mark Twain.= The literary pseudonym of Samuel Langhorne Clemens,
reminiscent of his early life as a pilot on a Mississippi steamboat.
“Mark Twain” in nautical phraseology means “mark two fathoms of
water.”

=Marlborough House.= This, the residence of H.R.H. the Prince of Wales,
was built by Sir Christopher Wren for John Churchill, Duke of
Marlborough, in 1709 at a total cost of a million of money.

=Marlborough Road.= This, like the square of the same name off the
Fulham Road, was so called after the “Duke of Marlborough” at one
end of it. At Peckham, after the one-time residence of John
Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, before he removed to Pall Mall.

=Maroons.= Revolted Negroes in South America and the West Indies. The
term was derived from the Morony River, between Dutch and French
Guiana, where great numbers of these fugitives found a place of
safety.

=Marquee.= Originally the tent of a marchioness.

=Marquis.= From the Italian and French _Marchese_, pursuant to the root
_mark_, a boundary. Anciently expressive of an officer who had the
guardianship of the marches or boundaries of a duchy. At a later
period the owner of a slice of land bestowed upon him out of a
duchy. Nowadays the title next below that of duke.

=Marquis of Granby.= A tavern sign in honour of John Manners, the
British general during the Seven Years’ War in Germany, a soldier
beloved by his men and esteemed by his country.

=Marry.= A perverted form of the oath “By Mary” in days when people were
wont to swear by the Virgin.

=Marsala.= A light wine exported from Marsala in Sicily. This name was
bestowed upon the town by the Arabs, _Marsa Alla_, “Port of God,” on
account of its delightful situation.

=Marseillaise.= This was the composition of Rouget de Lisle, an
artillery officer stationed with the French garrison at Strasburg.
First sung at a banquet given by the mayor of that city, it became
immensely popular; and when in 1792 the Marseilles volunteers were
summoned to Paris, they sang it as they approached and entered the
capital. The words and music at once struck the popular ear, so that
“La Marseillaise” became the national war song.

=Marshal.= From the Teutonic _mare_, horse, and _schalk_, servant. This
term, through the French _maréchal_, originally signified the groom
of the horse; now it means in a civil sense the master of the horse
and head of the ceremonies in devising pageants and processions. The
Duke of Norfolk, as Earl Marshal of England, takes precedence over
all other noblemen.

=Marshal Forward.= General Blucher, on account of his eagerness to make
a dash in the campaign which terminated in the victory of Waterloo.

=Marshalsea.= The old Debtors’ Prison in Southwark, so called because
the Court of the Knight Marshal, for the settlement of disputes
between members of the Royal Household, was held within its walls.
This edifice was demolished in 1842.

=Marsham Street.= From the ground landlord, Charles Marsham, Earl of
Romney.

=Martel.= The surname of Charles, the son of Pepin d’Heristal, who
signalised himself in battle against the Saracens when, according to
the chronicler, “he knocked down the foe and crushed them between
his axe, as a martel or hammer crushes what it strikes.” This
exploit occurred during the attempted Saracenic invasion of France
A.D. 732.

=Martello Tower.= Originally built near the sea as a watch-tower for
protection of merchandise against pirates. The term arose from the
custom of the sentry striking a bell with a _martel_, or hammer, as
often as he discerned a pirate ship out at sea.

=Martin.= The common wall-swallow, corrupted from its Latin name
_Murten_, from _murus_, a wall.

=Martinet.= From the name of a strict officer under Louis XIV. of
France; hence the phrase “a regular martinet.”

=Martin’s Lane.= From St Martin’s Church in this lane.

=Martlemas.= A corruption of “Martinmas,” or Feast of St Martin, 4th
November, the usual time for the hiring of servants in the rural
districts of England.

=Maryland.= The name given by Lord Baltimore to the colony founded by
him, in honour of Henrietta Maria, queen of Charles I.

=Maryland End.= An Americanism for the hock of the ham, as distinguished
from the other, the “Virginia End.”

=Marylebone.= A corruption of “St Mary of the Bourn”--_i.e._ the parish
church of St Mary beside the bourn or stream which descended from
near the hermitage at “Kilburn” to “Tyburn.”

=Masaniello.= The name of the leader of the Neapolitan insurrectionists
of the seventeenth century was Tommaso Aniello, of which
_Masaniello_ is a corruption.

=Masher.= From the Romany or gipsy _Masha_, “to fascinate the eye.”
Whether the overdressed fop, so designated in our day, really
possessed this enviable quality is open to question.

=Mason and Dixon’s Line.= An American expression for the old-time
boundary between the slave and the free states. This line was
defended between Pennsylvania and Maryland and Virginia by two
English surveyors, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, in 1763-7.

=Massage.= A Frenchised Hindoo word for rubbing. A male and female
practitioner of this new curative mode of friction treatment are
respectively styled a masseur and masseuse.

=Mattan Diamond.= This, the largest in the world, weighing 367 carats,
is the property of the Rajah of Mattan in India.

=Maudlin.= A word expressive of sentimentality or an inclination to shed
tears, more especially when in a state of intoxication. Old painters
always represented Mary Magdalen with swollen eyes, the result of
penitential tears; hence a corruption of “Magdalen.”

=Maund.= The Saxon for an alms-basket employed in the distribution of
bread to the poor by the Lady of the Manor.

=Maundy Thursday.= So called from _Maundé_, the French form of
_Mandatum_, the first word in the New Commandment or mandate given
by our Lord to His disciples after washing their feet at the Last
Supper. The essence of this mandate was to love one another; hence
the washing of feet of poor persons and distribution of doles by the
reigning sovereign on this day. See “Maund.”

=Mauritius.= A Dutch colony named in honour of Maurice, Prince of
Orange.

=Mausoleum.= After the magnificent sepulchral monument erected by his
widow, Artemisia, to Mausolus, King of Caria, at Halicarnassus, 353
B.C.

=May.= The budding or shooting of plants in this month caused the Romans
to give it the name of _Magius_, afterwards shortened into _Maius_,
from the Sanskrit mah, to grow. Eventually this month was held
sacred to _Maia_, the mother of Mercury, to whom sacrifices were
offered on the first day.

=Maydew Cherries.= A corruption of Medoc cherries, from the district in
France where they are cultivated.

=Mayfair.= On the site of this fashionable district Edward III.
established a six days’ fair in the month of May for the benefit of
the leper hospital of St James the Less, where St James’s Palace now
stands.

=May Meetings.= The annual meetings of the many religious, missionary,
and philanthropic bodies of the United Kingdom are held in London,
generally at Exeter Hall, during the month of May.

=Mazarin Bible.= A very rare edition of the Scriptures, being one of the
earliest printed by Gutenberg with separate metal types, between
1450 and 1455. It received this name from the fact that a copy was
discovered in the library of Cardinal Mazarin.

=Mecklenburg Square.= One of the many names about London which, when new
streets were built upon, complimented the Hanoverian Succession.

=Medina.= Expresses the Arabic for “City.” Its full name is _Medinat al
Nabi_, “City of the Prophet.”

=Mediterranean Sea.= The sea “in the middle of the earth” is that
between the two great continents, Europe and Africa.

=Medway.= See “Maidstone.”

=Meerschaum.= Expresses the German for “sea foam,” the fine white clay
out of which pipes are made being at one time thought to be the
petrified scum or foam of the sea.

=Meistersingers.= Literal German for “Master Singers”; master craftsmen
who in the Middle Ages revived the national minstrelsy, which had
been allowed to fall into decay.

=Melbourne.= In honour of Lord Melbourne, the Prime Minister in 1837,
when this Australian colony was founded.

=Melodrama.= Modern drama, distinguished by incidental music as an
accompaniment to the action.

=Memorial Day.= The United States mode of expressing a great
commemorative occasion, such as Independence or Decoration Day.

=Memorial Hall.= This building, in Farringdon Road, commemorates the
issue of the famous “Act of Uniformity,” whereby 2000 ministers of
the Church of England were deprived of their livings on 24th August
1662. The site was formerly occupied by the old Fleet Prison.

=Memory-Corner Thompson.= The name borne by John Thompson of the parish
of St Giles’s-in-the-Fields. Seated in a corner of a coffee-house,
he was wont for the amusement of regular habitues to display his
astounding powers of memory in regard to the topography of London.

=Memory Woodfall.= The sobriquet of William Woodfall, brother to the
reputed author of the celebrated “Letters of Junius.” His mnemonical
powers differed from that of “Memory-Corner Thompson” in that, after
listening to a debate, Parliamentary or otherwise, overnight, he
could repeat it word for word the next morning.

=Mentor.= A “guide, philosopher, and friend,” so called after Mentor,
the faithful friend and counsellor of Ulysses.

=Mercenaries.= From the Latin _mercer_, wages, reward. These hired
soldiers of antiquity figured largely in the Punic Wars.

=Mercer.= The old name for a dealer in silks and woollen fabrics, so
called from the Latin _mercis_, wares, merchandise. Nowadays such a
one styles himself a “Draper.”

=Merino.= A fabric of wool from the sheep of the same name, which
expresses the Spanish for an inspector of sheep walks.

=Merioneth.= After Merion, an early British saint.

=Merrimac.= Indian for “swift water.”

=Merry Andrew.= A buffoon or clown, said to have been so called after
Andrew Borde, a noted physician of the time of Henry VIII., whose
witticisms were on a par with his medical skill. His sayings were
widely repeated, and since it happened that Andrew was then the most
common name for a man-servant, facetious fellows came to be dubbed
Merry Andrews.

=Merry Monarch.= Charles II., who from the time of coming to the throne
never knew care, but made his life one round of pleasure.

=Mesopotamia.= The ancient description of the region situate between the
Tigris and the Euphrates. The name is Greek, from _mesos_, middle,
and _potamos_, river.

=Messe Rouge.= Expresses the French for “Red Mass.” At the resumption of
their duties at the Law Courts after the Long Vacation all the
Catholic judges and barristers attend a Mass of the Holy Ghost to
invoke the Spirit for the gift of wisdom. Like the masses of the
Feast of the Holy Ghost, the vestment worn by the officiating priest
is red, in allusion to the tongues of fire that descended upon the
Apostles on Whit Sunday.

=Methodists.= This name was first given by a fellow-student of Christ
Church, Oxford, to the Brothers Wesley and a few friends who were in
the habit of meeting on certain evenings for religious conversation.
They also visited the inmates of Oxford Jail at stated times, always
faithfully kept their engagements, and acted up to their Christian
principles in a strictly methodical manner. The new sect was
afterwards styled by John Wesley “The First Methodist Society.”

=Metz.= This city was styled by the Romans _Mettis_, from the _Medio
matrici_, the people of the country, whom they conquered.

=Mexico.= Expresses the seat or place of _Mexitli_, the Aztec god of
war.

=Michaelmas Day.= The feast of St Michael, prince of the heavenly host,
and patron saint of the Catholic Church. This is properly described
as “St Michael and all Angels” (29th September).

=Michaelmas Goose.= Stubble geese being at their best about this time,
the rural tenantry always brought their landlords a goose with their
Michaelmas rent. Since the latter usually received more geese than
they could consume themselves, they passed them over to friends, and
thus the goose became a standing Michaelmas dish.

=Michigan.= Indian for “a weir for fish.”

=Middlesex.= Expresses the territory of the Middle Saxons, situate
between that of the East and West Saxons under the Heptarchy.

=Middling.= North of England, and also American, for medium or passable
in the sense of feeling well.

=Mignonette.= Expresses the diminutive of _Mignon_, the French for
“darling.”

=Mildmay Park.= The estate of the Mildmays, whose ancestor, Sir Henry
Mildmay, came, by marriage, into possession of Mildmay House and its
park in the time of Charles I.

=Mile End Gate.= From a toll gate which at this point of the highroad
marked the eastern limits of London town and the parish of
Whitechapel, distant one mile from the city boundary at Aldgate.

=Miles Lane.= After Miles Coverdale, a famous preacher at the
Weigh-House Chapel hard by in former days.

=Milford Lane.= From an old mill that stood here in the fields. The lane
itself led to a ford across the river at low water.

=Milking the Street.= An Americanism for the operations of stockbrokers
who, by alternately raising and depressing shares, capture all the
floating money in the market. The allusion is, of course, to Wall
Street, the financial centre of New York city.

=Milk Street.= The ancient milk and butter market in connection with
Cheapside.

=Millbank.= From an old mill that stood on the Thames bank, on the site
of which the Grosvenors built a mansion, subsequently displaced for
the gloomy prison of the same name.

=Millerites.= An American religious sect, whose founder, William Miller,
prophesied the millennium or first judgment of the world by Christ
and His angels to take place on 23rd February 1843. Many of his
followers went mad through excitement as this date approached.
Subsequent days assigned for the fulfilment of the prophesy proved
alike misleading.

=Milliner.= A corruption of _Milaner_, after the city of Milan, which at
one time set the fashion throughout Europe for elegance and taste
not only in matters of dress, but of art. A milliner is one who
deals in hats, feathers, and ribbons. See “Mercer.”

=Mill Street.= From a mill that stood hereabouts when the scene was one
of peaceful rusticity.

=Milton Street.= After the author of “Paradise Lost,” who resided here
for a time, and was buried in the parish church of St Giles’s,
Cripplegate. This was the famous Grub Street of tradition.

=Milwaukee.= Indian for “rich land.”

=Mincing Lane.= A corruption of “Mynchen Lane,” denoting the property of
the Minchery, the Saxon term for a nunnery of St Helen’s in
Bishopsgate Street.

=Minden Boys.= The 20th Foot, so called from the conspicuous bravery
displayed by them at the battle of Minden.

=Mind your P’s and Q’s.= This had reference originally to the pints and
quarts chalked up against a rustic at the village alehouse. When his
score threatened to become too disproportionate to his prospective
wages, the alehouse-keeper generally administered a timely warning
in these set terms. It was a polite way of saying he would very soon
decline to serve him with more until the next settling day.

=Miniature.= So called because this early species of hand-painted
portraiture originated in the head of the Madonna or of a saint that
formed the initial letter of the beautifully illuminated rubrics
produced by the monks styled the “Miniatori,” because their paints
were made out of _minium_, or red lead.

=Minnesingers.= Expresses the Old German for “love singers,” the
troubadours of the Fatherland in the Middle Ages.

=Minnesota.= Indian for “smoky water.”

=Minorca.= Expresses the lesser of the “Balearic Islands.”

=Minories.= This thoroughfare was laid out across the lands belonging to
the Minoresses or Nuns of St Clare after their priory had been
demolished at the Reformation. The Order of the Minoresses
corresponded to the Friars Minor of the Franciscans founded by St
Francis de Paula.

=Minster.= The distinction between a minster and a cathedral lies in
this: the former is the church in connection with a monastery,
whereas the latter contains the _kathedra_, or chair, of a bishop.

=Minstrel Boy.= A favourite page whose duty it was to attend a knight in
peace and war. On his return from “feats of arms” he recited the
doughty deeds of his master to the accompaniment of a lute, harp, or
lyre in the banqueting-hall. In times of peace his theme was the
bravery of the knight in the lists at tournaments or his prowess in
defence of fair maidens.

=Minstrel of the Border.= The name bestowed upon William Wordsworth by
Sir Walter Scott.

=Mint.= On the spot where Manlius Capitolinus had built himself a
sumptuous residence the Romans set up a temple to Juno Moneta, or
“The Monitress,” since Manlius had been apprised of the Gallic
invasion through the cackling of the sacred geese. Subsequently this
temple of Moneta was converted into an establishment for the coinage
of money. Both mint and money therefore come from _Moneta_.

=Mint Street.= From the old mint established at Suffolk House by Henry
VIII. when that property was sequestered to the Crown.

=Minuet.= So called from the Latin _minutus_, small, on account of the
short, graceful steps which distinguish this dance.

=Miserere.= The name given to a mediæval choir stall of which the seat
could be turned up so as to form a ledge for the support of the aged
monks while kneeling. Its name, _miserere_, “Have mercy,” was
singularly appropriate.

=Misluck.= An Americanism for misfortune or ill luck.

=Misses’ Tailors.= An Americanism for “Ladies’ Tailors.”

=Mississippi.= Indian for “great and long river.”

=Missouri.= Indian for “muddy water.”

=Mitre.= An inn sign most generally to be met with in a cathedral city,
having reference, of course, to the mitre worn by a bishop.

=Mitre Court.= So called after an ancient Fleet Street tavern hard by.

=Mitre Square.= From an old inn, “The Mitre.”

=Mob.= From the Latin _mobile vulgus_, “the vulgar crowd.”

=Mobtown.= The name given to the city of Baltimore on account of the
lawlessness of a certain section of its inhabitants.

=Mocha.= Coffee brought from the district of the same name in Arabia.

=Mocking Bird.= A species of thrush that mocks or imitates the notes
produced by other birds.

=Moet and Chandon.= A favourite brand of champagne from the vineyards of
the French firm trading under the name of “Moet et Chandon.”

=Molasses.= The American term for syrup or treacle, derived from the
French _melasse_, the root of which is the Latin _mellis_, honey.

=Money.= See “Mint.”

=Mohair.= From the Arabic _Mukhayyar_, “goatskin hair,” through the
French _moire_, the fine silken hair of the Angora goat.

=Mohawks.= Night marauders who in the days of the “Old Charlies”
terrorised peaceable London citizens, self-styled after the fierce
Indian tribe of the same name. “Mohawk” means “man-eater” or
“live-eater,” this term being applied to the Iroquois by the eastern
Indians of North America.

=Moire Antique.= The French description of watered silk worked in the
style of the olden times. See “Mohair.”

=Moldavia.= The country traversed by the River Moldau.

=Moleskin.= A superior fabric of fustian or strong cotton distinguished
for a smoothness like the hair of the mole.

=Molly Maguires.= An Irish Secret Society in the United States, more
especially Pennsylvania, composed of young men dressed in women’s
clothes, and with blackened faces, who did not hesitate to murder in
connection with the agrarian outrages that they committed. The
execution of ten of the ringleaders in June 1877 at length put an
end to their reign of terror.

=Monastery.= From the Greek _monos_, alone. This term expresses an
establishment of monks, secluded from one another in cells except
when at prayers or at meals; recluses who never go into the outer
world at all. A Friary, on the contrary, is a convent whose inmates
live in community and go forth to preach among the people.

=Monday.= A term derived from Scandinavian mythology when, after the
first day of the week given up to sun-worship, the second was set
apart for the worship of the moon.

=Money makes Money.= This is a truism which it were vain to deny.
Without capital a man cannot possibly set up in business for
himself, even as a costermonger. The command of money makes its
possessor doubly rich.

=Monger.= This word enters into various designations of the trading
community, such as Fishmonger, Costermonger, being derived from the
Anglo-Saxon _mongere_, “one who trades.”

=Monk.= From the Greek _monachos_, “one who lives alone.” See
“Monastery.”

=Monkey.= From the Italian _monicchio_, the diminutive of _monna_, an
ape. This word is often used as a verb--_e.g._ “Don’t monkey about
on there,” meaning “Don’t play about or be up to monkeyish pranks.”

=Monkey Board.= The platform at the back of an omnibus, so called on
account of the capers usually indulged in by the conductor. On a
vehicle of the old-fashioned kind this platform was so small that he
had to jump off it in order to allow a passenger to enter or alight.

=Monk Lewis.= The sobriquet of Matthew Gregory Lewis after he had
published his celebrated novel, “The Monk,” in 1795.

=Monmouth.= The mouth of the Mon, the ancient description of which was
_Mynwy_, “the border river.”

=Montague Place.= This, like the street close by, received its name from
Montague House, the town mansion of the Dukes of Montague, in which
the treasures of the British Museum were at first deposited pending
the erection of the present edifice.

=Montague Square.= Like the street of the same name, this was designated
in compliment to Mrs Montague of the “Blue Stocking Club,” who after
the death of her husband resided in Portman Square.

=Mont Blanc.= French for “white mountain,” because it is eternally
snow-clad.

=Montenegro.= Literally “black mountain.”

=Montepulciano.= A famous Italian wine produced at the ancient city of
the same name.

=Montgomery.= After Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Shrewsbury, who
obtained forcible possession of the castle erected on the height by
the Lord of the Marshes in the time of William the Conqueror.

=Montreal.= So called from the admiring exclamation of Jacques Coutier,
when in 1534 he viewed the surrounding country from its summit. The
name is French for “Royal Mount.”

=Montserrat.= Expresses the Latin for a mountain serrated or jagged like
a saw.

=Monumental City.= Baltimore, so called on account of its one hundred
and four churches, the obelisk, etc., which it contains.

=Moonshiners.= The name given in the western states of America to
illicit whisky distillers.

=Moonshine Whisky.= American whisky distilled under cover of night by
“Moonshiners.”

=Moorfields.= See “Moorgate Street.”

=Moorgate Street.= From the postern gate in the Roman Wall leading to
the moor beyond the fen lands or marshes of Finsbury known as
Moorfields.

=Moors.= From the Latin _mauri_, and Spanish _moros_, “black.” Elsewhere
denominated “Saracens,” these Arab conquerors of the peninsula were
called by the Spaniards “Moriscoes.”

=Mop Fair.= The name given to a fair held a few days after the
periodical Statute Fair for the hiring of farm servants. The dregs
of the Statute Fair are then mopped or swept up.

=Moravia.= From the _Morava_, which name expresses a marsh or boundary
river.

=Moravians.= The followers of John Huss, driven out of Bohemia and
Moravia by religious persecutions early in the eighteenth century.

=Morgan Horse.= A favourite breed of American sporting horse descended
from the animal owned by Justin Morgan, a schoolmaster of Randolph,
Vermont, nearly a hundred years ago.

=Morgue.= So far from denoting a mortuary, this term really means the
inner wicket of a prison, where the identification marks of new
arrivals are taken before they have their cells and tasks assigned
to them. It is therefore not incorrectly applied to the place of
public examination and identification of the unknown dead.

=Morisonians.= A religious sect which separated from the Scottish
Presbyterians in 1841, under the leadership of James Morison.

=Mormons.= A sect whose founder, Joseph Smith, claimed to have received
a new revelation in “The Book of Mormon,” written on gold plates by
the angel Mormon, the last of the Hebrew line of prophets, in 1827.

=Mornington Crescent.= After the Earl of Mornington, Governor-General of
India, the brother of the Duke of Wellington.

=Morocco.= The territory of the Moriscoes or “Moors.”

=Morris Dance.= An ancient military dance of the Moriscoes or Moors of
Spain introduced to England by John of Gaunt after his return from
that country, _temp._ Edward III. Hence the companions of the “Jack
in the Green” at the May Day festival always blackened their faces,
and disported themselves in extravagant costumes, imitative of the
flowing robes of the original dancers. See “Maid Marian.”

=Mortimer Street.= After Edward Harley, Earl of Wigmore and Mortimer,
landlord of the estate in 1717.

=Mosaics.= So called because such inlaid work of stones was originally
employed in the pavements of the temples of the Muses. The word is
French _mosaique_, derived from the same Greek root as _Museum_.

=Moscow.= From the River _Moskwa_, on which the city was built.

=Moselle.= Wines produced at the vineyards on the banks of the French
river of the same name.

=Moslem.= From the Arabic _Muslim_, “true believer,” through _Salama_,
“to submit.” This term expresses the plural of “Mussulman” among the
Persians. By the Turks “true believers” are styled “Moslemin.” There
is no such word as “Mussul_men_” or “Mussul_mans_.”

=Mosquito.= From the Spanish _mosca_, a fly.

=Mosquito Coast.= A territory in Central America which, on account of
its climate and the swampy nature of the land, is infested by
mosquitoes.

=Mothering Sunday.= The Sunday in Mid-Lent when the members of a family
in domestic service visit their parents and enjoy “Mothering Cakes”
for tea. These cakes had their origin in offerings made to the
“Mother Church” on the afternoon on this day.

=Mother Black Cap.= A public-house sign in Camden Town set up in
opposition to the “Mother Red Cap” over the way. There never was a
noted character of this name.

=Mother of Believers.= The name bestowed by Mohammedans upon Ayesha, the
favourite wife of “The Prophet,” styled “The Father of Believers.”
Mohammed himself declared that Ayesha was the only member of his
family who cherished the slightest faith in his mission. His
preference for his second wife, therefore, can be readily
understood.

=Mother of Presidents.= Virginia, on account of the many Presidents
which this state has given to the American Republic.

=Mother of South-Western Statesmen.= Tennessee, from the seventeen
eminent Congressmen which this state has given to the Union.

=Mother of States.= Virginia, the pioneer British colony in the New
World.

=Mother Red Cap.= An omnibus stage in Camden Town, the sign of which
perpetuates the memory of a notorious London poisoner during the
Commonwealth.

=Mother Shipton.= A noted hostelry at Haverstock Hill, built when the
prophecies of this Welsh sorceress were the common talk of the day.
Some of her less baneful predictions were actually verified; notably
those as to ships ploughing the ocean without sails and vehicles
careering along the road without horses. Is it possible that she had
the motor car in her mind?

=Moulin Rouge.= Expresses the French for “Red Mill.”

=Mound City.= St Louis, on account of the numerous artificial mounds
occupying its site at the time when the city was built.

=Mountain.= The extremists of the Democratic party in France during the
Reign of Terror, so called because they occupied the elevated
benches in the House of Convention.

=Mountain Dew.= An Irishman’s term for whisky, because it was often
secretly distilled among the mountains in order to escape excise
duty; hence the expression: “A drop o’ the cratur.”

=Mount Street.= On a natural mound the Parliamentary forces here erected
a fort or bastion when the Royalists were expected to make an attack
upon London from the west.

=Mrs Grundy.= A term expressive of the prudishness of the English
character. It arose out of the line: “What will Mrs Grundy say?” in
Thomas Morton’s drama, “Speed the Plough,” produced in 1798.

=Mudlarks.= The nickname of the Royal Engineers, whose function it is to
throw up entrenchments.

=Muff.= This term was at first applied to an effeminate dandy who at one
time, like the ladies, carried a muff to keep his hands warm in
winter. This incapacitated him from defending himself with his sword
against an unexpected attack at the hands of a street bully, and
hence, as now, a _muff_ was easily taken advantage of, or likely to
become a prey to the sharp-witted.

=Muff Dogs.= Small dogs carried by ladies in their muffs during the
seventeenth century. A “muff dog” figures in an engraving by Hollar.

=Mug.= Slang for a man’s face. This arose out of the rude portraiture of
Lord Shaftesbury or some other political celebrity which from the
time of the Restoration to the middle of the eighteenth century
adorned the yellow chinaware beer mugs at an alehouse, or Mug-House
as it was called. These Mug-Houses were the first political clubs;
out of them sprang the popular “Free and Easies” of modern times,
and more recently the Music Halls.

=Muggletonians.= A religious sect headed by Ludovic Muggleton, a tailor,
who proclaimed himself a prophet, in 1651.

=Mugwump.= An Indian word for “wise chief.” The Mugwumps of North
America are the Democrats, whose political aims are above cliques or
parties; therefore they refuse to be influenced by a “Caucus.”

=Mulatto.= From the Spanish _mulato_, a mixed breed, through _mulo_, a
mule, the offspring of a white and a Negro.

=Mumm.= A strong German beer named after Christian Mumme, who first
brewed it.

=Mummer.= Slang for an actor. This old English term, derived from the
German _mumme_, a mask, was applied to the performers in a Christmas
masque or buffoonery.

=Mummock.= An Americanism for handle, disarrange, or play with--_e.g._
“Don’t mummock things about.” The word is really obsolete provincial
English for “maul.”

=Munich.= From the German _monchen_, monks. On the spot where the city
stands some monks built a warehouse for the salt which they obtained
in the neighbourhood. In the twelfth century Henry the Lion made
this _Villa Minichen_, as it was then called, into a mint, and a
town grew up around it.

=Munster Road.= From Munster House, the residence of Melesina
Schulenberg, created Duchess of Munster by George II.

=Munster Square.= In honour of the eldest son of William IV., created
Earl of Munster.

=Murphies.= Potatoes, the chief articles of consumption among the Irish
peasantry. This term is current also in America.

=Muscadel.= French and Italian wines, so called from the Italian
_muscado_, musk, nutmeg. Variants of this name are Muscatel and
Muscadine.

=Muscatels.= Raisins exported from Muscat in the Gulf of Oman, Arabia.

=Muscovy Duck.= A corruption of “Musk duck,” a species larger than the
common duck.

=Mush.= An Americanism for an umbrella.

=Musical Comedy Artiste.= The new pet name for a chorus girl.

=Musical Small-Coal Man.= The lifelong sobriquet of Thomas Britton of
Aylesbury Street, Clerkenwell, where was his coal shed. He
inaugurated Thursday evening concerts, that attracted fashionable
enthusiasts from the West End. This worthy, though he earned his
livelihood by crying small coals in the street, was a scholar, a
musician, and a companion of gentlemen.

=Muslin.= Called by the French _Mousseline_, from Mosul in Asiatic
Turkey, whence during the Middle Ages this fabric was sent to supply
all the markets of Europe.

=Muss.= An Americanism for “mess,” used in the sense of a confusion or
disorder. It is used also to imply a squabble or a reprimand--_e.g._
“I got into a dreadful muss this morning.”

=Mussulman.= See “Moslem.”

=Muswell Hill.= Properly “Mustwell Hill,” from the Latin _mustus_,
fresh. On this hill there was discovered an ancient well of clear,
fresh water, that belonged to the prior of St John’s Clerkenwell and
Highbury, who had a dairy farm hereabouts.

=Mutes.= See “Undertaker.”

=Mutoscope.= A modern peep show, in which the figures move; living
pictures, so called from the Latin _mutatis_, to change, and the
Greek _skopein_, to view.

=Myddleton Square.= After Sir Hugh Myddleton, who at his own cost
embarked upon the ruinous enterprise of constructing the New River
from Chadwell in Hertfordshire, nearly forty miles distant, to
London. One of the reservoirs occupies the enclosed portion of this
square.

=My Eye.= An exclamation signifying “You dazzle me,” “You make me blink
with astonishment.” Its American equivalent is briefly “My!”

=My Lady Nicotine.= The pretty name now generally applied to tobacco
since the republication in book form of J. M. Barrie’s essays on
smoking which originally appeared in the _St James’s Gazette_. See
“Nicotine.”

=Mythology.= From the Greek _muthos_, a fable, and _logos_, a discourse.
This was essentially a religion built upon fable.

=My Uncle.= The popular designation of a pawnbroker. See “Uncle.”

N

=Nailed.= Slang for “caught,” in allusion to being pinned down by the
captors. Also a thing seized and made off with; a punning reference
to “driving” a nail.

=Naked Possessor.= The Far West description of the possessor of a piece
of land for a long period without a legal title to it. He is the
naked possessor because his title is not clothed in a set form of
words recognised by the Courts of Law.

=Nankeen.= Cotton stuff originally made at _Nankin_, in China.

=Nankin.= Expresses the Chinese for “Southern Capital.”

=Nanny Goats.= The nickname of the 23rd Foot on account of their
regimental pet goat.

=Nantes.= A native brandy exported from Nantes in Brittany. The name is
the Celtic for “valley.”

=Nap.= A game of cards, originally named after Napoleon I.

=Naples.= Called by the Greeks _Neapolis_, “New City.” The ancient name
is better expressed when speaking of the inhabitants as
“Neapolitans.”

=Napoleon.= A gold coin of France issued during the Consulate of
Napoleon Bonaparte. This superseded the “Louis d’Or.”

=Narcissus.= This flower is fabled to have sprung up on the spot where
the beautiful Grecian youth so called died of love-sickness.

=Naso.= The nickname given to Ovid on account of the length of his nose;
hence “Ovidius Naso.”

=Nassau Street.= After the royal House of Nassau, to which William III.,
as Prince of Orange, belonged.

=Natal.= So called because the Portuguese navigator Vasco di Gama landed
upon its shores on Christmas Day, or the Feast of the Nativity,
1498.

=Nation.= An Americanism for “damnation.”

=National Democrats.= Those in the United States whose principles are
national as opposed to sect or party.

=Navvy.= Originally the name of a labourer employed in the construction
of canals for inland navigation. An alehouse set up beside one of
the earliest canals bore the sign of the “Navigation Inn,” and those
who frequented it were called _Navigators_. This term soon became
shortened into _Navvies_.

=Nazarenes.= Semi-converted Jews who, while nominally Christians,
believed “Jesus of Nazareth” to be the long-promised Messiah, and
still conformed to the rites and ceremonies prescribed by the Jewish
law.

=Nebraska.= Indian for “water valley.” This fertile region is traversed
by several shallow rivers.

=Neckerchief.= A kerchief for the neck. See “Handkerchief.”

=Neckwear.= An American term for neckties, scarves, or mufflers.

=Needle in a Bottle of Hay.= See “Bottle of Hay.”

=Needle’s Eye.= The postern gate in the wall of an Eastern city, so
called because with some difficulty a camel is able to thread its
way through it.

=Negus.= Hot spiced wine, originally concocted by Colonel Negus in the
reign of Queen Anne.

=Nemesis.= From the goddess of vengeance, who bore this name.

=Nepaul Paper.= India paper made in the district of Nepaul, Northern
India. The original India paper came from the Far East.

=Nest Egg.= The nucleus of a banking account, so called because if a
china egg be placed in a hen’s nest it is an inducement for her to
lay eggs of her own there. When a person has a trifle put by he is
anxious to increase it.

=Nestorians.= A sect of heretics of the fifth century under Nestorius,
Patriarch of Constantinople.

=Netherlands.= Literally the Low Countries, now comprised in the kingdom
of Holland.

=Netop.= Indian for “my friend.” In saluting a friendly Indian a white
in North America always makes use of this word.

=Nevada.= Spanish for “snowy,” in allusion to the snow-clad mountain
ridges of this state.

=New Amsterdam.= The name given by the Dutch settlers to their colony at
the mouth of the Hudson River, now “New York.”

=New Bond Street.= See “Bond Street.”

=New Bridge Street.= Leads to Westminster Bridge, opened in 1862. This
name was chosen in contradistinction to Bridge Street, Blackfriars.

=New Brunswick.= On assuming its independence of Nova Scotia in 1784
this British colony was named after the House of Brunswick.

=New Burlington Street.= See “Burlington Street.”

=Newcastle-under-Lyme.= The name of the river on which the town stands
is the Lyne, not the Lyme. To take the place of an ancient castle at
Chesterton-under-Lyne a new castle was built in this neighbourhood,
but of such a stronghold no vestige now remains.

=Newcastle-upon-Tyne.= Originally Moncaster or Monkchester, so called
from a colony of monks on the site of a Roman camp. Robert, Duke of
Normandy, the son of William the Conqueror, built a castle here for
the defence of the town against the incursions of the Scots. This
castle was afterwards rebuilt by William II.; whereupon the town
assumed the title of Newcastle.

=New Cavendish Street.= See “Cavendish Square.”

=New Compton Street.= See “Compton Street.”

=New Christians.= Portuguese Jews of the fifteenth century who, having
embraced Christianity under compulsion, secretly conformed to the
Mosaic rites and ceremonies.

=New Cross.= The district which grew up around an old coaching-house,
“The Golden Cross,” afterwards rebuilt, and renamed “The New Cross.”

=New England.= The collective name given to the six eastern states of
the American Union--Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts,
Rhode Island, and Connecticut--because the people are descended from
the Puritans of England and Scotland, and therefore may be regarded
as the only true “Yankees.”

=Newfoundland.= The name bestowed by Sebastian Cabot upon all the new
land that he discovered, but now confined to this British
possession.

=Newfoundland Dog.= A native breed of dog from Newfoundland.

=Newgate Street.= From the newest of the city gates, first alluded to in
history in 1207. The gateway having for centuries been used for the
confinement of debtors, it gave its name to the prison erected on
its south side. The gloomy edifice which has been demolished within
the last few years dated from 1782, after the burning of its
predecessor by the Gordon rioters in 1780.

=New Hampshire.= This state having been granted to Captain John Mason,
he in 1629 named it after his native county in England.

=New Holland.= The name given to what is now Australia by its Dutch
settlers in 1606 after their Mother Country.

=Newington.= Expresses the new settlement in the meadow.

=Newington Butts.= The site of the archery butts in South London
corresponding to those of Moorfields in the north.